Four Of The Biggest Chelsea Transfer FLOPS In Premier League History

Chelsea have had a mixed experience in the transfer market since the dawn of the Premier League – while they have attracted superstars such as Cesc Fabregas, Didier Drogba and Thiago Silva, they have also purchased some real dead ducks.

Today, we’ll be taking a look at said dead ducks – we will be examining four of the worst Chelsea signing over the course of the Premier League era.

Unsurprisingly, most of the players on this list are strikers – the Blues’ history with centre-forwards in recent times is chequered at best.

Without any further ado, here are four of the worst Chelsea transfer signings since the dawn of the Premier League era back in 1992.

Romelu Lukaku

Romelu Lukaku has the dubious honour of being a Chelsea flop not just once, but twice. His first stint came from 2011-2014, where he enjoyed success while out on loan – but the moment he adorned a Blues jersey, he looked woefully out of his depth.

During his first spell at Stamford Bridge, Lukaku failed to score a single goal in ten Premier League appearances – and his second run wasn’t much better.

Lukaku returned to Chelsea in 2021 for a bumper fee of £97.5 million – however, he failed to justify his astronomical price tag as he netted just eight times in 26 games.

Adrian Mutu

Here’s a name that most Chelsea fans would rather forget – Adrian Mutu was a complete flop in every sense of the word. He was snapped up for £15.8 million – which, in 2003, was a huge sum of money.

He went on to score six goals in 27 Premier League appearances – but it was his post-Chelsea antics that truly lands him a spot on this list.

In 2004, Mutu failed a drugs test when he tested positive for cocaine – after a lengthy legal battle with the Blues, he was eventually order to pay out 17 million Euros for breach of contract.

Alvaro Morata

Time for a more recent Chelsea flop – Alvaro Morata arrived at Stamford Bridge amid much fanfare, but the parade soon stopped once he actually begun playing.

His ability to miss gilt-edged chances was, in all honesty, quite impressive. He scored just 17 goals for Chelsea in three years and 47 appearances.

All the promise he showed at Real Madrid and Juventus was conspicuously absent at Stamford Bridge – and he cost the Blues a fee of £60 million.

Andriy Shevchenko

The acquisition of Andriy Shevchenko is one of the darkest blots of the legacy of Roman Abramovich at Chelsea. He was a complete disaster – proving to be an absolute liability during his time at the club.

His goalscoring record was poor, as he found the back of the net just nine times in 48 appearances – but his negative impact ran far deeper than this.

To accommodate him, then-boss Jose Mourinho was forced to drop key players and change the formation – all in all, it had a catastrophic effect on Chelsea’s performances.